Many state unemployment insurance agencies manage their unemployment insurance (“UI”) programs using multiple computer systems and workforces. A first workforce uses a first computer system and database to handle requests from claimants seeking UI benefits. A second workforce uses a second computer system and database to manage UI tax collection from employers. The first and second computer systems and databases are “silo'ed,” meaning that they have limited or no interfaces with each other.
These separate computer systems and workforces often create duplication of data and errors in data processing. In addition, such separate computer systems prevent a UI agency worker from having a complete picture when dealing with either a claimant seeking benefits or an employer seeking to pay taxes, which increases the chances that incomplete or inaccurate information will be provided to the claimant or employer. Moreover, having two separate workforces to handle two different computer systems results in inefficient utilization of human resources. Finally, because the benefits and tax systems are managed separately, many state agencies have difficulty detecting fraud, overpayment of UI benefits and underpayment of tax.